Haas faces Karlovic at Rogers CupA jam-packed Tuesday is in store at the Masters Series Montreal. Perhaps no match will be as competitive as the one featuring veterans Tommy Haas and Ivo Karlovic.

Tommy Haas and Ivo Karlovic will be meeting for the sixth time in their careers when the two veterans square off in the first round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday. Karlovic leads the head-to-head series 4-1, but they have not faced each other since 2007 and the series is all tied up at one apiece on hard courts.

Past history should not be any factor in this one in part because both men seem to be getting better with age; they are both playing some of their best tennis right now. Haas made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open, won a grass-court title in Halle, then went all the way to the Wimbledon semis before succumbing to Roger Federer, whom he also lost to at Roland Garros. The 31-year-old German, up to No. 20 in the world after a host of injuries in his late 20s, is a solid 26-12 for his 2009 campaign.

Karlovic got off to a slow start this season, but as the conditions have become faster (grass and fast U.S. hard courts), he has heated up. The 6'10'' Croat reached the quarterfinals at Queen's Club then made it to the Wimbledon quarters before falling to Federer. Like Haas, Karlovic also enjoyed a quarterfinal showing last week at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington. Ranked 30th in the world, Karlovic owns an ever-improving 21-15 match record for the season.

As most Karlovic matches do, this one will probably come down to his serve. Haas is playing consistent and aggressive tennis from the baseline at the moment, so Karlovic does not want to get into too many rallies. Granted Karlovic's all-court game has been improving, but he still needs to win dozens of free points on serve against a player of Haas' caliber. The big man can win this if he serves well, but Haas in three tight sets is the pick.

Tommy Haas makes second round of ATP masters in Montreal. In an exciting match he stood up to Ivo Karlovic from Croatia 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

The two opponents had to wait a long time for their performance on court nine due to an interruption by rain before Tommy Haas could surprise the crowd. The German returned strongly against the fiercely serving Croatian, although he did not make any immediate points. Ivo Karlovic only hit 6 aces in the whole of the first frame of play. Nonetheless, it was the world No. 30 who succeeded in converting one break point and thus claimed the first set 6-4.

The second frame of play continued to be very balanced. Tommy Haas as well as Ivo Karlovic served competently, and it was once again the Croatian who managed a break chance. Haas stayed cool, however, and in fifth game of the second set, for him a crucial service game, turned the tables yet again. For the first time, it now got tricky for the Croatian: at a score of 6-5 for Haas, Karlovic had to go over deuce. All remained steady: up to the tiebreak there were no breaks to be observed.

Tommy Haas started with an early mini break, which also due to the fact that Karlovices first serve would not go over the net any longer. Although the Croatian managed to equalize shortly after, the German persevered and scored once again while Karlovic was on serve. The man from Zagreb was absolutely puzzled now. Eventually, a double fault by the 2,08 meter tall giant made for the equalization of sets: 7-6 (3).

After only 90 minutes of playing time a third heat was needed for a decision. The German made for a great start: Karlovic lost his service straight away and Tommy Haas then extended his lead on serve. From now on, Ivo Karlovic tried to catch up but the in Florida living German played to confidently in this last phase of the match.

After two hours Tommy Haas could celebrate his well-deserved entry into the second round of the Rogers Cup. After a 4-6, 7-5 (3), 6-4 victory the world No. 20 can now look forward revenge Fernando Gonzalez. The Chilean terminated the German in Washington's quarterfinals last week.

All went well in the doubles, too: Radek Stepanek and Tommy Haas terminated the French Jeremy Chardy and Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-0 last night.

08-13-2009 - Tommy Haas had to give in early in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The German from Hamburg withdrew from the match against Fernando Gonzalez after the first set, which he lost 7:6 (2), due to a blister on his right hand. The German now has to abstain from training for three or four days.

Tommy Haas looks to level the head-to-head series with John Isner at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters Tuesday night. The players meet for their fourth career match.

Tommy Haas vs. (WC) John Isner

Tommy Haas trails wildcard John Isner 1-2 heading into their first-round match on Tuesday. The German won the last time the players met however, recording a round of 16 victory at the 2008 tournament in Indianapolis. Tuesday evening’s match-up marks the fourth time the duo will do battle on a hard-court.

The Halle title-winner kicks off his Cincinnati bid with a 27-13 season mark, set to make his fourth stop on the US Open Series. The 31-year-old reached the semifinals in Los Angeles (lost to Querrey) and the quarters in Washington DC (lost to Gonzalez). Haas lost his second consecutive match to the Chilean in Montreal, forced to withdraw after citing a blister on his right thumb. The German makes his 11th appearance in Cincinnati, enjoying his best result in 2004. Haas, currently ranked 21st, finished among the final eight before falling to Andy Roddick, 3-6, 3-6.

The 24-year-old wildcard reached a career high World No. 55 in August, shortly after his semifinals run in Washington DC. Isner made the semifinals during his first stop on the US Open Series in Indianapolis as well, going out to comaptriot Robby Ginepri in straight sets. The American is 19-10 in 2009, heading into his first career match in Cincinnati.

Well,I can't remember when was the last time I was pissed off and upset like now. And I'm still in a big time,not even a few hours of sleep couldn' help,as yesterdays defeat is still in my head. The pain and anger are still present.There were big losses for Tommy in the past and there was good reason always to blame the defeat on Tommy,but this time I just still cannot believe !! Is there any cure to the misery like this?!Tommy was obviously bored,as the fans on the crowds as well though it was long match. Isner did everything to make that match amazingly boring. I do feel sorry for those who were neutral on that one,who didn't care who will win. And I do feel sorry for the fans of Isner,I really can't see anything attractive the way he plays(maybe except from the few solid touches at the net,but mostly caused by monstrous serve)And of course I don't feel sorry for the Tommy's fans,because: I know he must b mad as Hell,and surely I can tell how he must feels now, speaking like one of his fans and speaking in their name,I can tell that the feeling is mutual,like :

As you all know Flushing Meadows starts next week, so I have been in New York since Monday. I feel good; I am in best spirits and really looking forward to the tournament. I am not even thinking about the last two weeks anymore. Of course, it was quite upsetting that I had to pack up in Montreal because of a blister on my hand. But these things just happen sometimes as with a new racquet grip sizes vary a little.

John Isner had a perfect day, of course, when he played against me in Cincinnati. He was brilliant at the crucial moments – in both tie-breaks – and in the end didn't even need a service-break to advance. What the hell! s**t happens. Now at last the US Open start and that's where I want to pick up on the strong performance of the last months again. By the way, it's always the same: when you arrive in New York it is extremely important not to get affected by the hectic life of the metropolis. I am prone to it, which is poison, of course. That's why I was once again consciously taking it easy here. Last Tuesday, Sara and I took a helicopter flight over the Hamptons. It was a unique experience to look at those beautiful beaches from such height. Yesterday, we watched a baseball match in the new Yankees' stadium and later on we met a few friends. It is so important to blend out all the hustle and bustle before the start of the tournament and I think I am doing well on that front at the moment.

I have prepared myself well together with Thomas Hogstedt and Alex Stober and especially in the last days I have collected some more power for the upcoming highlight. I haven't set myself a goal, however. In any case, I will start the first match highly concentrated and I want to last a few rounds, without question. If you were to ask me about my top favorite for winning Flushing Meadows it would unsurprisingly be Roger again. In Cincinnati the guy has once again proven that he is presently top-notch on this tour. It will be very hard to beat him here, too.

One thing is for sure: basically I am just as curious about the US Open as you are and can't wait for it to start. Cross fingers, I will be in touch again once Flushing Meadows is over!

Tommy Haas has endured more professional setbacks than fathomable, but he still counts himself among the fortunate. Is the heart and resilience he displayed at Roland Garros and Wimbledon a sign that the best is yet to come for the German as he starts his ‘third career’ at 31 years of age?

An upset was brewing in Paris. The crowd at Stade Roland Garros had seen the surprising departures of undefeated four-time champion Rafael Nadal and World No. 4 Novak Djokovic just one day earlier, and now it seemed that German Tommy Haas stood in the way of Roger Federer and what many believed was his destiny.

Haas had coolly stolen the opening two sets from the Swiss, and now held a crucial break point chance at 4-3 – just five points away from handing Federer his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2004. With the anticipation at fever pitch, Federer went for broke, hitting a brilliantly delivered inside-out forehand that barely caught the line.

Call it skill, call it a lucky shot or call it destiny. Haas, who buys into the philosophy that everything happens for a reason, would say later: “At 5-3, two sets to love up, I would have liked my chances. We'll never find out. But good thing he had the belief. At the end of it, I'm happy that he won the whole tournament.”

As important as that victory would turn out to be for Federer, it also proved a significant moment in Haas’ career following an oft-difficult road back from his most recent shoulder surgery two years earlier. Similar to his first comeback in 2004, inspired by a title win over Andy Roddick at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, this performance on his least favoured surface re-instilled his belief that he could compete with the best of them.

“I’ve been very lucky every time when I felt there might be a chance I don’t know if I’m going to come back, something happened in my tennis career where I felt I still got what it takes,” he says.

Lucky is rarely a term used to describe Haas, whose ill-fortunes have been well-chronicled: his parents’ frightening motorcycle accident at the height of his career, three shoulder surgeries leading to prolonged injury layoffs, and a ridiculous laundry list of maladies ranging from sprained ankles and torn stomach muscles to sinus infections and stomach viruses.

It’d be understandable – perhaps even expected – if Haas bemoaned his fate, but instead the German calmly says about the twists his career has taken: “It’s a part of life. I think bad luck is something way worse. Sure, I wish sometimes I didn’t have the shoulder problems and maybe I would have had more success, but at the same time, I don’t know if that would have been the case. I don’t look back and dwell on things like that. I take it as it comes and try to learn from it and see if I can come back stronger.”

With such a mentality, it’s almost unsurprising that the German possesses a remarkable phoenix-like ability to rise anew. Now, in the midst of what he considers his ‘third career’, the 31 year old has once again shown the talent, resilience and resolve that carried him into the Top 10 in the previous two chapters of his professional life.

The flashy and versatile German, a product of the Nick Bollettieri Academy, established himself as a Top 10 fixture during the 2001-02 seasons – reaching a career-high No. 2 behind Lleyton Hewitt in the South African Airways ATP Rankings – but two shoulder surgeries and 15 months later, he returned to the circuit unranked. Though doctors doubted his ability to recapture his old form, he surprised all the skeptics – not to mention himself – as he climbed to World No. 17 by the end of 2004.

All was going well for Haas in 2007 – he was back in the Top 10, had reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and quarter-finals at the US Open, and had helped Germany to the Davis Cup semi-finals – when it all came crashing down. He underwent another shoulder surgery in November, and the reality of the situation stung even more this time around. “That kind of really put me down mentally for a while,” admits Haas. “Having to go through rehab again, not knowing if the shoulder was going to come back, was tough. That time I wasn’t 24, 25 anymore when I had the first shoulder surgery. I was 29, and it was tough to keep being thrown behind and having to come back.”

Though he returned to the circuit the following February, he saw mediocre results in his limited tournament appearances. And after playing his last event of the season at the US Open – a five-set loss to Gilles Muller in the second round – rumours surfaced that Haas was prepared to call it quits.

When he began the 2009 season, there were still a number of question marks for Haas as he felt a lack of direction without a support team in his corner. “The tournaments came around and I was travelling by myself,” says Haas, whose ranking dipped to No. 87 by March. “I just felt like I wasn’t prepared the way I needed to be and lost a lot of tight matches. I didn’t win the big points and my confidence kind of went down a little bit.”

With his fiancée, actress Sara Foster, he retreated to Turks and Caicos for a much-needed holiday. “I probably should have been practising,” he says, “but at the same time mentally I was a little bit tired and stressed because I wasn’t really performing the way I wanted to, and I wasn’t doing really the work I wanted to do because I didn’t have a team around me that I enjoyed being with and that pushed me. “

After five days in paradise, he came back refocused and recharged. He brought old coach Thomas Hogstedt – the wizard behind his latest revival – and new physio Alex Stober onto his team, and traded in the pristine Caribbean beaches for the training courts in Munich. “It was bad weather and tough,” remembers Hogstedt. “He likes the Florida sun. He really showed big heart there, the way he worked to come back.”

Hogstedt saw that while all the tools were still there, Haas lacked confidence in many parts of his game, including his strokes and technique. “He was not in shape to play tournaments,“ he says. They went back to the basics, doing drills Haas used to like when he played well, and worked on getting him back into better physical shape.

He put his form to a test at the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, but ranked too low for direct entry, he played the qualifying rounds for the first time since the 1996 US Open. Haas knew that others were surprised by the decision, but claimed: “I was fine with it. I just felt like at that time I wanted to play matches anyway... You get confidence by any matches you play. When you’re healthy and you enjoy the game of tennis, I don’t think you really care whether it’s a qualifying match or even a Challenger. You just have to go back to the roots.”

It was a successful showing for Haas, who went toe to toe with Andy Roddick in the second round – a match he should have won with two chances to close it out in the second set tie-break. Then over a whirlwind six week span came his breakthrough. Following Roland Garros, he claimed his first grass-court title at his home country tournament, the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, and achieved his best showing at Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals only to be halted by Federer. Djokovic, who fell victim to Haas at both stops, admitted afterwards: “I couldn't deal with his serve.”

Haas reflected on his rapid and fortuitous turnaround that placed him back in the Top 20: “It’s funny how it is. Life you just never know what to expect, just like with everything. As long as you have a good team, you believe in yourself and you train hard, a lot of things are possible.”

After coming so close to the pinnacle of the sport – a World No. 2 and four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist – it’s easy to consider the limitless possibilities in Haas’ future should health stay in his favour. And considering that the German wrote on his website last October that his body “hasn’t hit its peak yet”, it’s not unfathomable that his best tennis will come to a front during this ‘third career’.

“He still dreams of winning that Grand Slam,” Hogstedt says, “and now of course Wimbledon the semi-finals was very good for his game, but especially mentally for his motivation.”

Though Haas turned 31 years old this past April, his coach thinks his age – and accordingly experience – have made him a better player. “I think he is much smarter and wiser now,” says Hogstedt. Additionally, the injuries that inhibited his career earlier have had one positive result: “He missed so much time on injuries I think sometimes body-wise he’s like 25, a little bit the same as [Andre] Agassi.”

Fittingly, Agassi is the last player to have claimed a Grand Slam title after his 30th birthday, winning the Australian Open at 30 years of age in 2001 and recapturing the title two years later. In total, 10 different players have experienced Grand Slam glory aged 30 and over, including first-time winners Petr Korda and Andres Gimeno.

“In our generation, Agassi was obviously someone who gave us that hope that you can still play great tennis at 35, 36,” says Haas. “Age shouldn’t be a factor for us to slow down the game. If you’re injury free and you stay fit through your work, I don’t know why can’t play good tennis in your thirties.”

One can only hope that with all the challenges he’s had to endure that Haas will finally be given an injury-free slate to fully realise his potential. But come what may, it’s certain that Haas will continue to count himself among the lucky, with appreciation for the road taken to fulfill his lifelong ambition. “I look back and I don’t regret one thing,” he says. “Ever since I was six years old, I wanted to become a professional tennis player and I’m basically living my dream. I’m going to ride it as long as I can.”

Lousy start ,but isn't that something that we are getting used to. Tommy really didn't impress but did just enough to secure him a safe through he 2nd R. Service was probably the worst part in his game,while struggling occasionally with his forehand. Although backhand was pretty efficient. Besides,he was too much confident ,maybe felt a little bit of pressure after a while and was inconsistent causing too many UE'sBottom line classic start for Tommy ,similar to the Wimbledon start,but I'm sure he'll be fine from now on Second round vs American,can be tricky but it can be on a bigger court as well...

Wimbledon semi-finalist Tommy Haas breezed into the third round of the US Open with a 6-4 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over American Robert Kendrick.

The German, seeded 20th, created 18 break point opportunities in the match, but it stretched on longer than it might have as he converted only two.

"I think my serve was extremely better than it was my first round match," he said on the ATP's official website. "And, you know, it has to be. Every match you play, everybody can play these days, so you have to try and improve."

It was the 30th career win at Flushing Meadows for the former world number two.

He will now face 10th seed Fernando Verdasco in the next round after he cruised past Florent Serra 6-3 6-0 6-3.

Verdasco, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final when losing the Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open earlier this year, dispatched the Frenchman in under 90 minutes as he continues the hot form that saw him claim his first ATP World Tour title last week in New Haven.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.Q. The other day after your first round match, you were saying there were some things in your game good things in your game and bad things in your game that you needed to address. Do you feel today you've sort of addressed those things that were troubling you the other day?TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, I think it was better. I think the statistics show it, as well. I think my serve today was extremely better than it was my first round match. And, you know, it has to be. Every match you play, everybody can play these days, so you have to try and improve.You know, when you serve well and you play the big points well, sometimes it can make life easier. You just never know until you go out there and battle, so..Q. I know it's difficult to look ahead. Do you see yourself right now in a position where you can go deep into the second week of this tournament?TOMMY HAAS: I mean, you never know. That's the beauty of the game. Anything is possible if you're feeling good and you're competing hard and things fall into place.But, you know, next match most likely will be Fernando Verdasco. That's as far as I'm going to look. He's obviously a very tough competitor and he's been playing extremely well. You know, it's going to be a tough one. I look forward to that. I will try and play my best and play smart that day.

Q. You said in Toronto last year that you continue to play despite the shoulder injuries because you love being on big courts entertaining the fans. This year, how do you sum up big courts in all the tournaments, playing Roger and Rafa?TOMMY HAAS: It's been great. If you look at the Grand Slams so far, playing Rafa in Australia in the third round on Stadium, he was just too good. I actually played very good myself. He was just too good that day and ended up winning the tournament.And at the French Open, being back on Philippe Chatrier was a nice feeling, and back on Wimbledon centre court. It's great. You know, there is no guarantee for any of those things to happen.You know, you do have to play well, unless your draw is not so good and you play one of the big guys right away so you can get on the big courts.But that's where you want to be, you know. If you can get far into these tournaments, which sometimes even third and fourth round can be far for some people which, you know, definitely I include myself in that if you get in those positions, you know, you've won some matches and you're feeling pretty good. Anything is possible when you compete hard and play well.

Q. Compared to when you were No. 2 in the world years ago, how happy are you on court now this year?TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, deep down I'm extremely happy and thankful for the chances I've gotten, you know. Overall having three shoulder surgeries, it's a lot. The other shoulder is pretty much beat up, but, you know, I've done good work with rehab and had a good doctor doing my shoulder surgery, so it's good.Other aches and pains come along as you get older. Anybody will tell you that. But it's still good enough for me to go out there and compete. Deep down I'm really happy. On the other hand, I like winning and I hate losing just like many others out here. Doesn't maybe always look that way on the court. I can definitely show some emotions more to the negative side sometimes.But deep down I'm pretty happy for what's been happening and having such a great turnaround this year so far. It's phenomenal, so I'm happy.Q. At Wimbledon, the match against Llodra, after it ended you hung around the court and you played with ball kids for around ten minutes and had a good time on the court. Would you have done something like that four or five years ago?TOMMY HAAS: Four or five years ago maybe. Ten years ago for sure probably not. When you're young, you don't really know much. You think about doing a lot of things, but sometimes you might just feel a little bit silly doing certain things.You're just coming up. Sometimes you just say the wrong things, or, I don't know, you behave maybe not as you should. You try to be yourself. But there is a lot of things going on outside the tennis world sometimes that many people don't know. So that was just something I felt like doing.And, you know, the last couple years I think more and more things you do what you think is right. And when you have a lot of experience and been around a long time, you don't question yourself anymore.Q. Can you give some thoughts about this match against Kendrick in particular? What was ultimately the key for to you win in straight sets?TOMMY HAAS: He's been playing good tennis. His ranking speaks for itself. I think it's been as high as it's ever been for him. He is a tough competitor. He serves big and goes for his shots. You can never can underestimate somebody like him, so I certainly I didn't do so today.I knew I had to serve well and move well and compete hard, and that's what I did. Even in the third set I had a lot of break point opportunities. He fought them off pretty well, and came down to a tiebreak which I'm happy to have played quite well.Q. He seemed a little annoyed, I don't know, with the time that it took for you to challenge or not. Do you think that that was an issue at all? Do you think he had a right to be a little annoyed?TOMMY HAAS: Yeah, in some ways you can. Sometimes when you watch matches, you wonder, like I took a little bit too long. Maybe they need to make a rule that within three or four seconds you should be making a call on that.Sometimes it's very hard. You know, when you're trying to reflex or return a serve that comes at you at 125 miles per hour, the first thing you think about is to challenge it maybe.So you kind of just look around. Sometimes when the balls are new you can see the mark. I saw the mark clearly out when I walked up to it. So either you you can't challenge it or you can. There needs to be maybe a rule for that.I think sometimes some people wait too long. I agree it's annoying, but at the end of the day, it's good for everyone to at least see in the end how it was.

Q. What's the reason for your resurgence this summer? Is it just health?TOMMY HAAS: It's a lot of things. Just being happy with yourself, No. 1. Having a good team around you and just, you know, competing hard, training hard, and, you know, still believing in yourself and thinking that you can still win some big matches, which I certainly have in the summer.These things give you confidence and belief, and, you know, sometimes when you're not winning a lot of matches or you're losing a lot of close matches and you're battling another injury and you don't know what's going on, it's tough.It's tough out there, because you feel like you're always one step slower or one step behind. That can cost you the matches every single time.Q. What's your goal? Another major? Is it certain rounds? Certain ranking?TOMMY HAAS: My goal is to just, No. 1, is to keep staying healthy and keep improving. I still feel like I can improve my game, get better. Each tournament, you know, I think when you are, you know, lucky enough to play a couple matches, I think you get better each round.That's a big thing. Obviously the matches get tougher and tougher. But, you know, that's it. Just looking forward to this tournament, playing hard, and then couple more indoor tournaments and then see what happens.

Q. Boris Becker obviously cast a long shadow on tennis. How would you describe the state of tennis in your country?TOMMY HAAS: We can sit here a long time talking about this, but, I mean, I don't see any problems with it, to be honest. I mean, if we would go by this year with some of the success other German players had, including me.Or last year when I wasn't successful, many other Germans had a very successful year. Recently we've gotten into the semifinals of Davis Cup two years ago, so you can look at it many ways. But overall we have a lot of Germans that are in the main draw here, I think as many as ever, and a lot of guys in the second round, as well.You know, we're just a country that was very spoiled, you know, many years ago with Becker, Stich, and Graf. You know, even I think, besides the U.S., there was no other country like that in tennis.You can say whatever you want, but I think we're in good spirits. I don't know what the juniors are doing much, but I think even juniors we have a few guys that are ranked pretty high.For them to get to the next level it's always a bit tricky, but I don't see a problem with the German tennis. I see a problem sometimes maybe with the tournaments that we have. Other German players like indoor or faster surfaces, and the majority are on clay, heavy clay, as slow as it gets.That doesn't make any sense to me, but that's just my opinion.